SNP councillors in Fife have declared war on the Ministry of Defence, accusing defence chiefs of “pettiness” over a “ridiculous” row concerning the final 15-metre section of a new cycling and walking path in Rosyth, work on which is currently being blocked by the government department.
The Ministry of Defence, which owns the strip of land separating the rest of the active travel route to the road, claims the path’s construction could limit access to adjacent MOD land and have a “detrimental” impact on residents.
The department has also threatened to fence off the land if it’s used informally by students, while the council itself has come under scrutiny after forging ahead with the shared infrastructure’s construction, despite being refused the required permission to complete what is being dubbed the “path to nowhere”.
However, following vocal criticism of its stance by politicians and residents this week, the MOD has today said that it would be willing to reopen discussions with the local authority in a bid to reach a “mutually agreeable solution”.
Ministry of Defence blocks completion of new cycling and walking path near Caledonia High School, Rosyth 2 (credit: David Barratt)
The shared-use path is being built to coincide with the construction of the new Caledonia High School in Rosyth, which is set to open for pupils in August 2026, replacing Inverkeithing High School. Fife Council says the path will connect the new school, along with its sports grounds and community-use facilities, to Dundonald Road and the town’s wider dock yard area.
The majority of the path has been completed, apart from a short final stretch of 15 metres, situated on a patch of land owned by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), which links the infrastructure to the road.
According to documents seen by the Courier, the MOD has refused multiple requests from Fife Council to build the path on the land, which is mostly made up of grass, gravel, and dirt, after consideration from military staff and senior civil servants.
The government department has told the council that the completed path could limit access to adjacent MOD land, harming future development opportunities, while claiming that the expected increase in cyclists and pedestrians using the infrastructure could harm the local area.
Ministry of Defence blocks completion of new cycling and walking path near Caledonia High School, Rosyth (credit: David Barratt)
“There are concerns related to the detrimental impact at the MoD families estate which adjoins the school sports pitches, from cars being parked up, the dropping off and collecting of students, and public accessing and egressing the school and sports facilities,” the department told a Fife Council planning officer.
The MOD also informed the local authority that, if the incomplete portion of the path is used informally by schoolchildren, they could fence it off entirely, cutting off its connection to Dundonald Road.
The department’s refusal to grant the local authority permission has attracted criticism this week from Rosyth’s SNP contingent, who described the impasse as “ridiculous” and “nonsensical”, and accused both the council of “incompetence” and the MOD of “pettiness”.
“This is one branch of government obstructing another and it is entirely nonsensical,” SNP councillor David Barratt said in a statement earlier this week.
“I took the opportunity to visit today alongside Rosyth Councillors Brian Goodall and Andy Jackson. We knocked on every door on Dundonald Road and of the residents we spoke to, 100 per cent consider the situation ridiculous and want to the see the path complete.
“This is undoubtedly a failure on the council’s part as well. Fife Council were clear in the site selection process that the school could be built in this location without reliance on MOD land and have spent significant sums on this path without having necessary agreements in place to actually allow it to go anywhere.
“That arguable incompetence, however, pales into insignificance compared to the pettiness of the MOD. It is a level of pettiness the council could not have reasonably anticipated.”
Councillor David Barratt poses beside new, partially completed cycling and walking path near Caledonia High School, Rosyth (credit: David Barratt)
“We are now left with a 5m gap between a brand-new path and the crumbling, poorly maintained existing MOD path,” local councillor Brian Goodall added.
“This work wouldn’t cost the MOD a penny. Fife Council would be paying for the upgrade and would maintain it going forward.”
Meanwhile, local resident Lou Blair, who lives on nearby Laurel Road, urged the MOD to back down and let the council finish the path.
“Given that Fife Council have already laid footpath the full length of the school playing fields it makes sense and would be beneficial to complete the remainder of the path and continue to provide pedestrian access to Rosyth, the new school and new facilities,” Blair said.
In response to this criticism, a Ministry of Defence spokesperson, while insisting that the finished path would create difficulties for both the department and residents, admitted that a compromise could be reached.
“After careful consideration and discussions with Fife Council, in January 2024 the decision was made to refuse permission to build a path on MoD land and Fife Council was advised of this in writing,” the spokesperson said.
“The reasoning was that construction of a footpath across this strip of MoD property could potentially make future access to adjacent MOD land difficult and could result in significant intensification of use, with subsequent impact on the local area.
“However, we would be willing to reopen discussions with Fife Council to try to find a mutually agreeable solution.”
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That apparent move towards a solution was welcomed this morning by Barratt, who described the MOD’s statement as a “return to commonsense”.
“I’m pleased to report that following my post on Tuesday about the ridiculous situation of the path to nowhere, there has been a bit of progress and I believe my post is having the intended consequence,” the councillor wrote on Facebook on Thursday.
“This is a welcome return to commonsense, and I am convinced that the MOD’s concerns could be resolved through legal agreement.”
SNP councillors pose beside new, partially completed cycling and walking path near Caledonia High School, Rosyth (credit: David Barratt)
However, Barratt was also highly critical of Fife Council’s decision to forge ahead with the construction of the path, when there was no guarantee it could even be completed.
“My post was deliberately directed more heavily at the MOD, not because the council wasn’t also at fault, but because it is the MOD that holds the cards and the ability to resolve this situation,” he continued.
“I have also sought answers about how the council could get into a position of not just planning a path without landowner consent, but building it up to a dead end at significant cost, only to realise the landowner is not agreeable.
“This is appalling incompetence, but it should not be beyond the abilities of two branches of government to find a solution that delivers for the community.”